GeoSea Successfully Completes Installation of 20 Suction Bucket Jackets
On 30 July, the last suction bucket jacket foundation landed on the seabed at the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore windfarm in Germany. With this milestone, GeoSea completes the installation of 20 suction bucket jackets.
Borkum Riffgrund 2, owned by Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners, will feature 56 Vestas turbines of 8MW and have a total capacity of 450MW – enough to supply electricity to approximately 460,000 households. GeoSea’s scope involved the transport and installation of 20 suction bucket jackets, each weighing 950t and having a height of 58m. This is the first time Ørsted has utilised this type of foundation at one of its windfarms on such a large scale. In 2014, GeoSea installed the first ever suction bucket jacket at Ørsted’s wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 1.
The suction bucket structure becomes firmly embedded in the seafloor by vacuum pressure, eliminating the need for hammering and significantly reducing noise during installation. “The completion of this project further establishes our strong track record in providing innovative solutions for our offshore wind farm customers,” says Glenn Carton, GeoSea’s Project Manager Borkum Riffgrund 2. “GeoSea is now one of the few companies with vast expertise and experience in suction bucket jacket installation. We are proud to support Ørsted in developing solutions to further bring down the costs of offshore wind energy. We also would like to thank our partners NGI and FRAMO for the successful cooperation in this pioneering project.”
GeoSea’s ‘Innovation’ is now being mobilised in Vlissingen to head to the Hornsea Project One windfarm in the UK, where GeoSea is currently installing 174 foundations.